Hot For Teacher
by broodyprettygirl
Summary: She's in love with her teacher. And she wants him. Can she have him?
1. The Seduction

**I know, you all probably thought I fell off the face of the Earth, and for a while I wished I would have! And this isn't exactly an update of any of my stories, but, whatever, it's what I wanted to do! **

**So, I originally planned for this to be an actual story, but considering my success rate with updating and finishing stories as of lately, I'm keeping this as a oneshot. **

**It's definitely AU and definitely rated M. Let me know what you think! **

Brooke Davis is the queen of Tree Hill High. Literally. Prom queen, homecoming queen, anything that deserves a crown, Brooke has won. She can have any guy that she wants, and most her begging for her to do so. Yet, Brooke only has eyes for one man, and she's been saving herself for him ever since she laid eyes on him. She can remember that day as if it were yesterday. And now that she's graduated, she has two months to make it happen. And Brooke Davis tends to get what she wants.

_It's the first day of high school for Brooke, and she sits nervously in a desk at the back of the classroom, waiting for the bells to ring and for class to start. She's usually not so studious, but she's nervous beyond words. In junior high, she ruled everything, but this was high school. There were upperclassmen to contend with, and she wasn't sure if she would be able to take over, like she once had. _

_Her best friend Rachel is sitting in the desk next to her, just as nervous as she is. Both of them are tapping their pens against the desk, just wanting the day to begin so it could get over with. They had spent over an hour that morning getting ready for the big day. Yet, when they got there, they didn't feel ready at all. Already, both girls didn't like the looks they'd received from some of the older girls. Before, in junior high, they would have held their heads high, making comments about how they were just jealous, but this was different. They were the freshmen, and freshmen weren't very well liked. _

_More and more students start shuffling in as time went on. Most of them are students she's been going to school with her whole life, but some are older, having flunked before. She isn't sure of the teacher, since it would be his first day, but she hopes it's not some old hag who would pound them with homework. After all, English has never been her best subject. _

_That's when it happens. Into the classroom walks the most beautiful man Brooke has ever laid eyes on. In slow motion he strides through the door, runs his fingers through his buzzed off dirty blond hair, and sets a brief case on his desk. He puts his hands on his hips, and glances around the classroom, squinting his sky blue eyes. Brooke vows to have him as she stares at him with an open mouth. _

_"Hello class," he begins to talk, and Brooke swoons even more at the sound of his husky voice. "I'm Mr. Scott, and I will be your English teacher for the next year." _

_Mr. Scott. The man of Brooke's dreams, and she's only has been in his presence for about thirty seconds. He clears his throat, and she involuntarily lets out a dreamy sigh. How is it possible that he is so perfect? He grabs a piece of chalk, and starts to write on the blackboard, but Brooke doesn't pay attention to what he's writing. Instead, she focuses on the way his muscles flex as he moves his arm along the chalkboard. And how his short-sleeved shirt is riding up his arm as he does so. It's a simple short-sleeved, button down shirt, tucked into khaki cargo pants. He's so hot. _

_"I'm going to start off by telling you a little about myself," he turns around, and Brooke's heart soars. She's dying to find out about him. "My first name is Lucas, but you should probably stick to calling me Mr. Scott, the administration kind of frowns on things like formality," the class laughs in response. "I grew up in Tree Hill all of my life, and for the most part I love it here. Our basketball team went to, and won, the state championship during my senior year, me as shooting guard, and my brother Nathan at point." _

_Brooke leans forward, putting her head in her hand, and staring dreamily up at Mr. Scott. High school is going to be awesome, she finally decides. And if basketball is important to him, then it's important to her. She's definitely trying out for cheerleading. _

_"I earned my teaching degree at Duke, where I majored in English, and teaching of course. My goal is to share my love and interest in this subject, so that all of you will be equally as interested as I am. There is nothing that can compare to being able to write, and understand our language and to communicate with each other in proper form." _

Brooke sighs at the memory. It's been four years since he walked into her life, but he has never once left it since then. He has really changed her life, and he doesn't even know it. But, by the end of the summer, she's determined to make him realize how much she loves him, and hopefully make him realize, how much he loves her.

"Dreaming about Mr. Scott again," Rachel asks, plopping down on the couch next to her, and startling Brooke out of her thoughts. "I swear, your little obsession is just way unhealthy."

"Ugh," Brooke rolls her eyes. "Have you seen him, Rach? He's like the perfect man."

"Brooke, he's our teacher, and even though I'm pretty scandalous, even _I_ know not to cross that line. You could get him into a lot of trouble, you know."

"He's not our teacher anymore," Brooke shrugs. "And, I am eighteen now, he can't get into trouble."

"Brooke, that's so wrong on so many different levels, I don't know which one to start at," Rachel shakes her head. "Anyway," she sighs, changing the subject, "what are you doing tonight?"

"Babysitting for Mr. Scott," Brooke's eyes light up. "He has some thing with Nathan and Haley to go to, so he asked me a couple days ago."

"You're really kind of pathetic, you know that?" Rachel laughs. "Not only are you his student, but his baby-sitter, who is trying to seduce him? There's a party tonight, and you're skipping out on it to baby-sit?"

"For Lucas, I am," Brooke nods her head.

"So now it's Lucas?"

"Yeah," Brooke says nonchalantly. "The other day he told me since he's not my teacher anymore, I could just call him Lucas. He doesn't like it because it makes him sound old."

"He is old, Brooke."

"He's not _that_ old," Brooke says, defensively. "He's only like, twenty-six."

"And you're eighteen. He's eight years older than you."

"So, my dad is ten years older than my mom."

"Your mom married your dad for money."

"I love Lucas, and all that's all that matters."

"Brooke, if I didn't actually know that you were who you are, I would think you were some kind of weirdo, obsessed with her teacher. You're better than this. Come to the party with me tonight, find some random boy, and _finally_ get a piece of ass. I can't believe you went all through high school without having sex."

"Rachel, I always get what I want, you know that. And I want Lucas Scott. And I'm not going to stop until I get him. When have I ever given up on something?"

"Never," Rachel mumbles, knowing Brooke's determined attitude all to well.

"Before I go to college, I will have Mr. Scott, end of story. No one is going to talk me out of it."

"What if he doesn't want you, Brooke?"

"He will want me, you wait and see."

"Do you just want to sleep with him, or are you planning on making him fall in love with you?"

"Both. But, more than anything, I want him to be my first."

"This is just weird," Rachel stands, while shaking her head. "I'm going to pretend like you're not some kind of weirdo, obsessed with our English teacher, and go to this party. You should come."

"Maybe," Brooke shrugs. "After I'm done babysitting, I'll think about it."

Brooke watches as Rachel leaves, and heaves a sigh. She doesn't know when Rachel had become so cynical towards her infatuation. She's always been right there next to her, saying how hot Mr. Scott was.

_"He's so hot," Brooke leans over to whisper to Rachel. It's two weeks into their first year of high school, and still the teen could not get over how breathtaking her English teach is. _

_"Yeah, he is," Rachel nods, eyeing the teacher's lean, but built body. Whatever he does for maintaining his physique, definitely works. "Want to have a contest to see who can get him to blush the fastest?" Rachel has always been pretty daring, and Brooke has always been right by her side, either egging her on, or competing against her. So, it's no surprise to Brooke that she suggests this. _

_"Sure," Brooke shrugs, leaning back into her seat, and folding her arms across her chest. _

_"Mr. Scott," Rachel asks, raising her hand at the same time, beating Brooke to the punch. _

_"Yes, Miss Gattina," Lucas acknowledges her. He has some weird obsession with showing his students the same respect they show him, so he always uses either Mr. or Miss before each of their last names. _

_"Are you married?" She bluntly asks, while sitting back in her chair, and folding her arms across her chest. _

_Mr. Scott stutters at first, not knowing how to answer such a personal question. He's not embarrassed, but he's kind of curious as to why one of his students would want to know that about his personal life. _

_"Yes," he decides to be truthful. Brooke's heart falls into her stomach. "Any particular reason why you wanted to know?" _

_"My friend, Brooke," she points at her best friend, "wanted to know." Brooke shrinks into her chair, hoping to be invisible, even though she's sitting in the front row. _

_"And why is that," he turns his attention to Brooke, even though, for the first time, she doesn't want it. Brooke stays silent, not knowing how to answer. She knows she should come up with something clever, to get back at Rachel, and to make him blush, but his piercing blue eyes are all she can think about. _

_"She thinks you're hot," Rachel shrugs. Brooke's cheeks blaze red, while Mr. Scott's spike pink. _

_"Ahem," Mr. Scott clears his throat, obviously embarrassed. "Well, thank-you for that, Miss Gattina, but I'd appreciate it if you weren't so blunt from now on. Also, please let Miss Davis speak for herself from now on. I've heard her speak, and I know she doesn't need your voice to do it for her." _

_Rachel rolls her eyes just as the bell rings. She smirks towards Brooke, before standing up, and leaning towards her. "I won." She smiles proudly, while gathering her things. Brooke sticks her tongue out at her best friend. Sure, she's just embarrassed the hell out of her, but that's how their friendship works. _

_"Miss Davis," Mr. Scott calls out. Brooke halts everything she's doing to slowly look up at him. He's going to reprimand her for thinking he's hot. "Can you stay after, please, I would like a word with you." _

_"Yeah, sure," she nods, and sits back into her desk. _

_"Finally, you're chance to seduce the teacher," Rachel whispers to Brooke with a laugh. "Or maybe, he's finally noticed how hot you are, and he's going to seduce you." _

_"Shutup, Rachel," Brooke grumbles. _

_Once the classroom is cleared, Mr. Scott stands up and walks to the front of his desk. He leans back so he's resting against the desk, while his hands press firmly into it at his sides. Brooke's ready for him to yell at her for thinking he's hot, and she's bracing herself for his rejection. _

_"Miss Davis," he begins, and she wants to yell that it's Brooke, but she keeps her mouth shut. "I've been concerned with some of the assignments you've been turning in lately. You have the potential to be great at this, I can see it in you, but I don't think you're really applying yourself. If you're struggling at all, you can come to me, and I will help you. Otherwise, I can offer you a tutor." _

_Brooke's stunned. She isn't expecting a reprimand about her grades. "I-I-I'm sorry?" She offers, because she has no idea what else to say. _

_"No, don't be sorry," he shakes his head, and pushes himself away from the desk. He comes forward, and crouches down in front of her, his hands resting on her desk. "I don't know whether your parents are pushing you towards college, but this class is kind of important for your future. In almost any field you go into, this English is a fundamental you will need. And it's my job to make sure you fully understand what is going on. If you need extra help, feel free to stop by before or after school. I'm always here." _

_"Th-thank-you," she stutters. And she's not sure she's heard everything he's said right, because he's so close she can smell his masculine cologne, and see just how blue his eyes really are. _

_"Thank me four years form now when you're in college," he smiles, and Brooke's heart beats rapidly. His smile is to die for. "It's my job to make you pass, and that's what you're going to do, Brooke Davis, and hopefully with an A." _

Brooke thinks that's when she actually fell in love with him. He was the first person to show that much interest in her academically, and she loves him for that. And as she heads up his front walk, to knock on his door, she smiles brightly at the memory. Because after that little talk, she took her English homework more seriously, and did get an A that year. And she has him to thank for her getting into college.

"Oh, hey, Brooke," Mr. Scott opens the door. Since they're out of school, and graduated, he's no longer calling her Miss Davis, and she loves it.

"Hey Mr. Scott," she says back, still feeling awkward about calling him Lucas to his face.

"Brooke, how many times have I told you its Lucas now?" He laughs, opening the door for her to come in.

"Sorry," she mumbles, passing by him, and accidently rubbing her shoulder against his muscular abs, sending tingles shooting through her stomach. "Where's Maya?"

"She's upstairs playing in the toy room," he closes the door behind her. "I'll go tell her you're here, and then get changed to go."

"Okay," Brooke nods, and watches him go. And she so badly wants to follow him into his room.

A few minutes later, Lucas' blonde haired daughter is running down the stairs yelling her name. The little girl is just as adorable as Lucas is. With little ringlets in her dirty blonde hair, and blue eyes just like her dad's. She is gorgeous, and some day Lucas would have his hands full trying to fight off the guys that are bound to coming knocking at the door.

"Daddy said you were coming to baby-sit," the girl smiles, wrapping her arms around Brooke's knees.

"Yep," Brooke bends down after the little girl lets go. "And we're going to have lots of fun, right?"

"Yep," she nods. "I've already got my Barbie house all set up for us to play. Right now Barbie is napping, so we have a little while before we have to go back up there."

"Okay," Brooke giggles, and then ruffles the girl's hair. Even though Brooke is in love with Lucas, it's not the reason she loves this little girl so much. Maya, or Amaya, was great. She was very smart, and very fun, and just so loveable, Brooke couldn't help it.

"Brooke," Lucas speaks from the top of the stairs, causing her to look up. And when she sees him, her mouth drops to the floor. He's coming down the stairs with his button up shirt undone, and his chiseled abs peeking through. "I'll only be gone for a little bit," he starts to explain, but Brooke can hardly hear him. When he reaches the last step, he starts to button up his shirt, much to Brooke's dismay. "Nathan has some banquet I have to go to. It's sounds boring, and I don't know why Haley can't just go with him, but he begged so I said yes."

Broke chuckles. "That's okay, Lucas. I don't mind watching Maya. In fact, I love doing it."

"Thanks, by the way," his face lights up with a smile, and his blue eyes sparkle. "Anyway, I have the number to my cell phone written on the fridge, like always. And I'll be home as soon as Nathan lets me leave."

"Take your time, and have fun," Brooke smiles, and thinks it's pointless for him to leave his number on the fridge every time she babysits, since she already knows it by heart.

"Thanks Brooke," he finishes buttoning his shirt, and then tucks it in.

"Daddy, doesn't Brooke look beautiful?" Maya asks, out of the blue. The little girl looks up to Brooke, a lot, since she's not used to having a woman around anymore.

"Yes, baby girl," he smiles at Brooke, and then kneels in front of his daughter. "Do you promise to be a good girl for Brooke tonight?"

"Yes, daddy," she nods. "I always am, huh Brooke?"

"Yes you are," Brooke smiles.

"Good," Lucas kisses her forehead. "Daddy will only be gone for a little bit, okay?" Maya nods her head enthusiastically. "Don't stay up too late. Go to bed when Brooke tells you it's time."

"I know, daddy," the blue eyed little girl responds, annoyed. Lucas and Brooke laugh.

"I love you, baby girl."

"I love you, too, daddy." Lucas kisses her one more time on the forehead, and then stands up.

"Thank-you, Brooke," he says one more time. "Just call if she's a problem."

"I will," Brooke smiles. He gets like this every time he's about to leave. It's not that he doesn't trust Brooke, because she's the only one he does trust, but he feels guilty about leaving his little girl.

With a few more good-byes, Lucas is finally out of the door, leaving Brooke and Maya alone.

"Finally," Maya huffs. "I though he was never gonna leave." Brooke laughs, and then follows as she leads her upstairs to her bedroom.

It's a little after midnight, and an hour after Brooke has put Amaya to sleep that Lucas arrives home. He's still as gorgeous as ever when he walks through he door, only now, he's got the smell of alcohol on him, and he's staggering a little bit. And Brooke's heart sings with glee when she notices, because when he comes home drunk, he loves to have long conversations about things that are very important to him, and Brooke loves to listen.

_It's a little past midnight when Lucas arrives home. It's not the first time Brooke has baby-sat for him, but it is the first time he's come home a little inebriated. She's now a sophomore in high school, and she likes to think she's a little more mature than her freshman year. _

_"Hey, Brooke," Lucas cracks a smile. "How was Maya?" _

_"She was great," Brooke responds. "How was the party?" _

_"It was alright," he slightly slurs, and then sways to the side. "Come into the kitchen, and I will pay you." _

_Brooke follows him through the large living room to the kitchen. His house is larger than what it should be on a teacher's salary, but she figures it's probably something he bought with the sales of his first novel. Which she has read, and loves, even though the whole thing is about him loving another woman. _

_"Here ya go," he hands Brooke a fifty, and then plops down into a kitchen chair. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I should be taking you home tonight." _

_"That's okay," she shrugs, "and I really think fifty dollars is a little too much. I only watched her for a few hours." _

_"No, no, keep it," he smiles while standing up. "You're really great with her, Brooke, and I want to keep you around." He gets into his fridge and pulls out a beer. "Want one?" Brooke is surprised by his offer. He's her teacher, and he's never crossed that line before, but she eagerly accepts it anyway. He hands her a beer, and then sits back down, while instructing her to do so. _

_"I'm really glad she likes you," Lucas smiles, and then takes a drink. "Now that Peyton is gone, I'm not sure how I am going to handle all that girly stuff." _

_"You can do it," Brooke laughs. "It's not that hard." _

_"For you it's not," he sighs. _

_"What happened with Peyton?" Brooke doesn't mean to be so curious, well, yes she does, she just doesn't mean to be so obvious. But, it was killing her to know what happened between Mr. Scott and his wife. _

_"She left me," he flips his hand. "Right out of the blue. Said she couldn't handle being tied down anymore, so she just left. She doesn't even want anything to do with Maya." _

_"That's horrible." _

_"It is." _

_"But, you'll be able to find someone else." Like me, she thinks. _

_"Maybe, I don't know. How can I replace Maya's real mom? That just doesn't seem right." _

_"Well, I can help out as much as I can." _

_Lucas' hand reaches out, and lands on top of Brooke's. "Thank-you," and Brooke's heart melts with his words, and her skin his tingling from his touch. _

The two have never talked about that night since. Brooke figures he was embarrassed by all of it, especially about letting her have a beer. But, even if he doesn't remember it, she still does, and it means a lot to her.

"Hey Brooke, how was Maya?" Lucas asks as soon as he sees her.

"Perfect, as always," she smiles. "How was your night?"

"Boring, like always," he laughs. "I guess that's what happens when you grow up. You just get old and boring, right?"

"Yeah, but don't you have your new book coming out soon?"

"No, I'm _supposed_ to have my new book coming out soon. The editor has been riding me like crazy, but I've seemed to have lost my inspiration. Got any ideas?"

"I'm sure you can come up with something," she encourages. "You are Mr. Scott."

He laughs, and leads her into the kitchen. "It's Lucas now, remember?"

"Oh, right, I forgot."

He hands her a fifty from his wallet, and Brooke shakes her head. Even though she's gotten used to him giving her this much, she still never expects it. He goes to the fridge and pulls out two beers, before setting them both on the kitchen table and sitting down.

"I know I shouldn't be giving you this, but you're graduated now and over eighteen, right?"

"Yep," Brooke nods, and early sits down where he's set the beer. "Besides, it's not like I haven't ever drank before."

"Good thing I didn't know that in high school," he teases.

"It wasn't like it was that big of a secret."

"Okay, so maybe I did know," he laughs before he takes a drink. "But, I couldn't tell on one of my best students, could I?"

"Of course not. Wouldn't want me kicked out of class, right?"

"Right," he laughs just before he takes a drink of his beer. "Remember that night I gave you that beer while you were still in high school?" Brooke nods, trying to make it seem like it's not important, but very impressed that he remembers it. "I could have gotten into so much trouble for that. I was so drunk, though, I didn't know what I was doing."

"It's not like I was going to tell on you," Brooke takes a drink.

"I knew you wouldn't, but it was still stupid on my part."

"I didn't think so."

"It was right after Peyton left, though. I was pretty messed up after that. You probably already know that, though," he laughs.

"I can't believe she would leave _you_," Brooke mumbles into her beer can.

Lucas sighs loudly, not really wanting to go into the whole Peyton mess. It's been a long time since he's even thought about her, and he doesn't want to go there tonight. Instead, he looks across the table at his former student. He remembers his first class with her, his first class ever. She stuck out to him. She seemed so confident then, yet so vulnerable at the same time. Like all she needed was just one person to step into her life and give her the right kind of attention to head her onto the right path. And he hopes he was that person for her. She's changed so much from that young, naïve girl. Now she sits across from him with an air of sophistication, and intelligence, and she's just beautiful. And he knows he shouldn't think that about her, but it's pretty obvious. Brooke Davis is beautiful inside and out. And the way his daughter loves her, is amazing to him, because she doesn't like most people.

"Brooke, this may seem weird, but I'm very proud of the person you've become," he leans forward.

"I think I have you to thank for that," she smiles back at him. "You were the one telling me to get my ass in gear when it came to school work. As well as other things."

_It's sophomore year, and Brooke has strayed a little from her infatuation with Mr. Scott. She's still in love with him, but she wants to experience boys as well. And that's how she ends up under the bleachers, making out with Jake Jagielski. She doesn't even really like him, and she's sure he doesn't like her either, but somehow they ended up with their mouths attached, and their hands roaming each others bodies. She's struggling for air, and her face is all wet from his sloppy kisses. She's kissed other boys before, but never as fervent as this. And she's sure he's a good kisser, but to her it just doesn't seem right. Like there's something missing. But, she pushes that to the back of her mind, while still letting her hands discover his body. Their teeth clank together, and it hurts, so they pull back, but only for a moment. She's pretty sure she's about to lose her virginity to this boy she barely knows, and doesn't even like. And she's fine with that, because it's not that big of a deal anyway. She figures she might as well just get it over with so she can say she's had sex before. _

_The sound of someone clearing their throat breaks the two apart. Their lips are swollen, as well as being bright red from the pressure of their kissing. Brooke's hair is a mess, so she tries to smooth it down, as well as her clothes. And once she's done doing that, she finally looks up, and her heart sinks. Of all the people to catch her doing this, it had to be him. The one person she doesn't want seeing her doing this. _

_"Mr. Jagielski," he says in a stern voice, "Miss Davis," he says, this time in a disappointed voice. "I suggest heading back to class before getting a detention." Brooke catches eyes with him, and for the first time in her life, she feels ashamed. She's never been afraid of her actions or what they would make other people feel like, but he's making her feel this way. The way his eyes are dull, and oozing disappointment in her makes her flinch a little. _

_Jake takes Lucas' words as his cue to exit, and fast. Brooke, however, hesitates. She stands awkwardly for a moment, and then when he says nothing, she begins to leave. Her heart is pounding hard in her chest, and she feels like she's about to cry. It's his husky voice that stops her._

_"Miss Davis," he clears his throat._

_"Yes, Mr. Scott?" She turns around to look at him. _

"_I know it's fun to experiment, but don't let these high school boys take advantage of you. Have respect for yourself. Make them earn your respect. You're better than them." _

_Brooke smiles a little as her heart begins to race for a different reason. Did he just say she is better than all of the boys in her high school? She doesn't want to seem weird, so starts to walk away. And it's then she vows she will never have sex with a high school boy. In fact, she will never have sex with anyone until she loses her virginity to Mr. Scott. The one and only guy that has ever respected her._

"Well, it's not like you were hard to steer on the right path," his eyes light up in a smile. "I kind of wish I could keep you around."

Brooke's stomach does a somersault, and her heart sings. "Me too," she whispers, keeping her eyes on the beer can, so he can't see how much she's just enjoyed his comment.

"You're going to a good college, though. Duke. What do you plan on majoring in? I know we talked about a couple of different things, but you never told me if you had decided."

Brooke finally lifts her head to look at him. A small smile creeps onto her lips. "I'm thinking about med school."

Lucas cocks his head to the side, and his mouth stays open. "Med school?" He asks, and she nods her head. "Wow. Brooke. That's…that's-"

"I'm no sure, though." She quickly adds. "I mean, I would really love to be a doctor, but it's a lot of schooling. A lot of schooling, and I don't know if I'll have the drive to actually go through with it."

"You can," Lucas nods. "I can't believe you're picking med school. What about that fashion thing you were so interested in?"

"I still want to do that," Brooke adds. "Sometimes I want to do that more than the med school thing, but there's just something telling me to be a doctor."

There's a permanent smile on Lucas' face as he watches her talk about her schooling. Back on that first day of freshman year, Brooke Davis would have never even thought about going to med school. Four years later, and perfect grades, she's sitting across from him, trying to decide if it's right for her.

"You'll be amazing at whatever you choose," he lifts his can of beer up to his lips and takes a drink. "I know Maya is going to miss you a lot."

"Duke isn't that far away," Brooke points out. "I'm sure I'll be able to come back some weekends and babysit."

"I'm sure that's exactly what you'll want to do," Lucas laughs. "Screw all of those dorm parties, and frat guys, I'm going to go babysit for my high school teacher." He speaks with sarcasm.

"I'm not much of a partier," she shrugs. He eyes her suspiciously. "Well, most of the time," she shrugs with a laugh, making Lucas laugh along with her. "I'm going to miss Maya a lot," she averts her eyes, "…and you, too." She whispers, bringing her eyes back up to his.

"Well, like you said, you'll skip all of those parties and come back and visit," he pats her arm with his hand.

Brooke smiles sadly, while looking into the soulful blue eyes of her ex-high school teacher. She wants more than ever to just press her lips against his. To truly know what it feels like to be connected to him. She wishes she could throw all of her inhibitions out of the window, and do exactly that. She brings her can of beer to her lips, and averts her eyes from his. She is sure if she stares at him any longer, she's going to break down and cry.

"Um," Brooke starts nervously. She doesn't know why she gets so nervous around him. Every other guy, she's fearless, and flirty. With him, she finds herself at a loss for words. "Uh, ha-have you dated, Lucas?" She asks nervously, hoping she hasn't crossed the line.

"Dated?" He questions, and she shakes her head. "You mean, since Peyton has left?"

"Yeah," she nods, secretly rejoicing he's not throwing her out of his house.

"I've tried," he shrugs. "It's hard when you have a daughter that takes up all of the time you have outside of the classroom."

"I bet," she nods. "So, you haven't found anyone you wanted to be with since Peyton?"

"No," he shakes his head. "I know it sounds pathetic, but I'm not still hung up on her. It's just, kind of weird because she was my high school sweet heart. We were together for such along time before we even got married, that it was hard to adjust after she left. And since then, I've just been more interested in work, Maya, and you." A smile appears on Brooke's face. "I mean, you as in my students," he tries to back track, a little embarrassed. "It's um, it's getting late, and you should probably get home."

"To an empty house?" She rolls her eyes.

"Parents vacation again?" He questions, and she nods. "Where's Rachel?"

"Out at a party," Brooke answers. "You know, end of high school bash."

"And you're baby-sitting instead of partying? Those parties are legendary; every senior class has one after they graduate. I remember mine almost perfectly."

"Then you weren't drunk enough," she teases.

"Nah, I wasn't much of a drinker," he shrugs. "But, I can't believe you didn't even go to yours."

"I'd much rather be here with you and Maya," Brooke speaks before she thinks. Immediately her eyes grow wide. Lucas just smiles. She clears her throat, and looks up at him confidently. "I really mean that," she speaks just above a whisper. "You are more important to me than any one of my high school friends."

"Brooke," Lucas starts, but then stops. He stares into her eyes for a few moments, before looking away and taking a drink of his beer.

"I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable," Brooke apologizes. "But, it's true. And I think now that I'm out of high school, I'm allowed to tell you all of this." Lucas breathes in deeply, but still avoids her face. "I've just…" She wants to tell him; she wants to so bad. But, that could mean potentially losing him completely. And she'd rather have him oblivious, than not at all.

"Brooke," he stops her, finally meeting her gaze. "Maybe you should just go."

"Yeah, maybe." She nods, and looks away from him. Her chest rises as she deeply takes in a breath. Her eyes shut tight, and for a moment she just sits there. And then, she talks herself into standing up, and Lucas stands with her. Always the gentleman, he has to escort her out of his house. But instead of walking towards the door, Brooke takes steps towards him, until her chest is almost touching his.

"Brooke," Lucas breathes out, her scent filling his nose.

"It's just," she ignores him. "If I go, then I don't think I'll ever be able to tell you that you've been more to me than just a teacher," she stares at him in the eyes, unblinking.

"Brooke," he tries to stop her again.

"You've been the one person I could really count on for the past four years. The only guy that has ever shown me any kind of respect. And more importantly, the man that I have fallen in love with."

Lucas blinks a few times, not sure he's heard her right. He's treading on very thin ice by letting her go on like this. But there's something that won't let him tell her to get out. There's a desire to let her go on and confess everything. An ugly snake rearing its head in the back of his brain, wanting her to go on, and then to passionately make love to this young, beautiful woman he has grown very attached to over the years.

"Brooke," he attempts to stop her again.

This time, she leans in and presses her lips against his. And it's as if every part of their bodies are igniting into an explosion. Electrical conductions pulsate from their lips, and heat radiates from inside their chests. A simple kiss, one that has no more depth than just the tender skin of their lips pressed against each other, is causing waves of passion to radiate from the most inner depths of their souls.

Completely out of breath, he pulls back from her lips, because he's supposed to. He is a very high moral, high standard guy, and he's not supposed to take advantage of his naïve student. His naïve student that has just graduated and is eighteen. His naïve student that is the most beautiful woman he has ever laid eyes upon.

She looks up at him through lidded eyes, her chest heaving just as much as his, her mouth slightly parted. Slowly, she slides her tongue across her bottom lip, licking his taste off her mouth. The kiss was more fulfilling for her than she has ever imagined. And she wants more. Her body is trembling with desire, and her insides are on fire.

"Brooke," he whispers, shaking his head. Trying to convince himself not to go on, not to get involved with a former student. Too many bad things could come of something like this.

She stays back, letting him fight the inner battle that he's having. She can see him going back and forth inside of his head as his eyes are shut tight. She'll let him go on until he has convinced himself against it, and then she will go back in, so he won't forget what it's like to kiss her.

"Th-this is a-a-a bad idea," he stutters, his eyes still shut. "You're my student." He's trying to convince himself.

"Former student," she whispers huskily, and expertly traces a finger along his chest.

He opens his eyes and looks at her. "This is wrong, right?" He asks. "I'm-I can't do this," he shakes his head. "I'm not supposed to want this."

"It's okay," she whispers, and brings her lips back to his.

He doesn't respond at first, because he's not supposed to. But, it's only so long that he can keep the snake at bay until it's up and showing its fangs. Soon, he is kissing her back, and just as passionately.

She's not sure what to do. The last time she was like this was with Jake Jagielski when Lucas caught her. But, so far, most everything is coming as an instinct. Her hands find their way to his chest, and slowly they move upward until they're behind his neck. Her mouth moves in sync with his as their tongues meld together.

He can hardly contain himself. It's been so long since he's been with a woman; he's not even sure what to do anymore. It's slowly coming back to him, and so fast that he's fumbling around. His hands find her waist, and sneak up the bottom of her shirt until he's touching bare skin. They slide around the back, and then slowly down, and he gently cups her ass. He brings them around front again, under her shirt, and slowly they find their way to her breasts. Softly, he squeezes them, noting the way they perfectly fill his grasp. He struggles to keep his mouth attached to hers, and keep feeling her chest at the same time. He wants her shirt off, so he starts to tug at it from the bottom. And suddenly, his conscious hits him. He can't do this. He can't see his student without her shirt on. And he pulls back abruptly.

"I can't," he panics, shaking his head. "This can't-"

"I want this," Brooke grabs his hand, and places it on her breast. "I want it so bad."

"No," Lucas shakes his head, pulling his hand back. "It's not right," he whispers. "It's not right!" He speaks with force. "I-I can't see you with your shirt off. I just can't."

"Yes, you can," Brooke urges him. "I want you to."

"No," he shakes his head some more.

"Yes," Brooke nods, and takes the hem of her shirt into her hands, and pulls it over her head, "you can."

Lucas stops shaking his head, and focuses on the front of her exposed chest, clad only in a bra. Perfection, just as he would have imagined it. Toned abdomen, perfect breasts, in a lacy red bra. Perfection. He whimpers in agony. She's not making it easy for him to do the right thing.

Before he knows it, her lips are back on his, and his shirt is being unbuttoned. She brushes a hand against his growing erection, and he whimpers in delight. She starts to unbutton his jeans with his whimper, until slowly they start to slide down his legs. Then, she takes a step back, and slowly undoes the buttons on her own jeans, the whole time staring at him through sultry eyes. He's practically drooling as he watches her undo her own pants. He's panting with desire, all doubts now thrown into the back of his mind. As she slides her pants down her legs, he looks around his kitchen, realizing where he is. He can't do this here. He can't have sex with Brooke Davis on the kitchen table or counter. He just can't.

She comes back to him, and he stops her. She thinks he's about to refuse her again, and she's not sure she can handle another refusal. "Not here," he whispers, grabbing both arms. "Not here," he speaks again, shaking his head. She looks at him, confused. He wraps both arms around her waist, and pulls her up until her legs wrap around his waist. Her arms instantly wrap around his neck, and her mouth finds his again. Clumsily, he carries her from the kitchen to the stairs. He's fumbling around so much, he's afraid he's going to hurt her by hitting her against something, or worse, wake his daughter up. When he finally makes it to his bedroom, he falls into the bed with her, bracing himself so all of his weight doesn't land on her.

Her arms are still wrapped around his neck, and their mouths are still attached. And for a long time, they just kiss passionately, enjoying the sensation of their mouths melding together. Brooke pulls back first. She forces Lucas back as she sits up. Her hands find the back of her bra, and she undoes the clasp. And her perfect breasts fall free from her bra, and all Lucas can do is stare at her. Perfection. After moments of staring, his hand finds her right breast, and he squeezes, before bringing his mouth to the supple skin. Hungrily, he suckles her breast, making sure to leave no part of her skin left out. And then, he moves to her left breast, doing the same, and not being able to get enough.

Brooke moans in pleasure as he works at her breasts, giving her feelings of euphoria that she's never experienced before. He's amazing. The way he's taking his time to pay attention to every detail. She can't get enough. She takes his head in her hands, and pulls his face back up to hers, and plants her mouth back onto his. She needs him to be inside of her. And she doesn't get nervous about it until both of their underwear is off, and he's positioned at her entrance.

"Lucas," she stops him before he inserts. He looks up at her, a worried look on his face. "Um, be nice, okay?"

"Okay," he nods. "Ar-are you okay?"

"Ye-yeah," she stutters. "Just, um, be careful. Okay?"

"We don't have to do this," he sits back, now suddenly afraid to go any farther. "I don't want to-I don't want to hurt you."

"No," she shakes her head. "I'm not afraid of getting emotionally hurt," she assures him. "You wouldn't do that. I'm afraid _it's_ going to hurt."

"What?" He asks, confused. "You mean, me-" he makes a hand gesture towards their exposed private parts, and she nods her head, slightly. "You mean, you've never…" His heart flutters, and then starts to beat rapidly.

"No," she shakes her head, suddenly looking her age. Her very young age.

Lucas immediately falls back onto his butt, and covers his face with his hands. He's a dumbass. He can't take this girl's virginity. He can't take his student's virginity.

"Lucas," Brooke panics, sitting up, and climbing in between his legs. "Lucas, I want this. More than anything I've ever wanted in my life, I want you to be my first."

"No, Brooke, I can't." He says, firmly. "I can't. There's just-there's no way I can do that. I can't. You-you need to find someone your age, someone who's not your teacher."

"_Former_ teacher, Lucas, and I don't want someone my own age. I don't want someone else. I want _you_. I've only ever wanted _you_."

"You can't-we can't. This can't happen."

"Do you remember that time that you caught me under the bleachers with Jake?" She asks, and he nods. "You told me to have respect for myself, and make them earn my respect. You've been the only person in my life that has ever respected me. The only guy that has ever respected me."

"No, Brooke," he puts his hand up. "I meant-"

"I know what you meant," she cuts him off. "I didn't find a guy that earned my respect. I just had you. I don't want anyone else to take it, Lucas. I want you to. Please. You won't hurt me."

"No." He states. "This can't happen. I can't do this. This is wrong. This is so wrong. I can't be that teacher."

"Lucas," Brooke stops him, placing her hand on his cheek. "It'll be okay." She leans in and presses her lips against his once again, and he once again forgets the outside world. All that matters is the two of them, inside of the four walls of his bedroom.

Brooke pulls him back, so that she's once again on her back, and he's on top of her. He wants her so much. So much more than he's ever wanted anyone in his life, but he's trying so hard not to. He can't do this to this girl. All that can come of this is heartbreak.

"Lucas," Brooke breaks their kiss. "Please," she begs, panting. "Please. I need you to do this."

Lucas stares into her eyes. There's no way something with her could work, but maybe they could figure something out. Because he's never wanted someone so much as he does her. And not just one time, all the time. He wants it, but he knows there's no chance of it ever happening. He can't be in a relationship with his student. He can't be with someone that is going away to college in the fall.

"Lucas," she grabs both sides of his face, "I want you so bad. And I know you want me just as bad. Forget all of your morals. Because the way I see it, those morals don't compare to the passion that we have between us."

"But, Brooke, I mean, you do realize that something between us could never work. No matter how much we both want it, it could never work."

"For now, Lucas, just forget all of that. I want to be with you, and I know you want to be with me."

Lucas stares deeply into the eyes of Brooke. He does want her bad. So he throws all of his morals to the back of his head, and focuses on the passion he has for this young woman. He leans down and gently presses his lips against hers.

"You'll tell me to stop if it hurts?" He whispers.

"Yes," she answers.

"Promise me, you'll stop me if it hurts," he says forcefully.

"I promise," Brooke nods.

Lucas takes in a deep breath and once again positions himself at her entrance. His tip is flush with her slick folds, and just the feeling of that is driving him crazy. He places both hands on both sides of her, and kisses her once again. It's been so long since he's done this, he's not even sure if he knows how.

He leans down once again, presses his lips against hers, and then lets his body lie on top of her, making sure not to squish her beneath him. Slowly, he presses himself into her, losing himself in the tightness and warmth of the center of her being. Tiny explosions seem to be going off in his brain as slowly, he goes deeper and deeper.

It hurts, but not as bad as Brooke had imagined. She can feel her center being stretched open to accommodate his width, but mixed in with the hurt, is a plethora of pleasure, that's taking over her senses. When he's all the way in, she grunts and arches her back, her chest pressing against his. He gasps, and pulls back some.

"Are you okay?" He panics. She nods, unable to respond. "Are you sure? I can stop."

"No!" She finds her voice. "Don't stop. Please don't stop," she begs.

Her begging, mixed with her tightness, is almost enough to send Lucas over the edge. But he grits his teeth, and slowly pulls back out of her, until he's almost all the way out, and then gently goes back in. It's not going to take much, he can already feel himself building up to an explosion, he just doesn't want to disappoint Brooke on her first time.

"Lucas," Brooke moans. "Oh my god," she gasps in pleasure. She can feel his length and width, and it's giving her feelings she's never known to exist before. Slowly, he goes in and out, back and forth, and she can feel everything building up.

He's trying harder to hold back, now. Squeezing his eyes tight, biting his bottom lip. Every time he slides back into her, he's sure he's going to explode, but he squeezes all of his muscles and holds back. He won't, not until she's crying out in passion. He leans down and presses his mouth against hers, passionately intertwining his tongue with hers. He collapses onto her, nuzzling his face into the crook of her neck, breathing in her scent.

"Lucas," she gasps, "Oh my god, Lucas!" Moaning takes the place of formed words, as with one more thrust she's thrown over the edge, into the endless pit of pleasure. Her moaning, along with her chest pressing into his, aids Lucas along into his own climax, exploding into her just the way she had exploded all over him. He brings his mouth to hers, and kisses her passionately, wanting every part of their bodies touching while they go through such ecstasy.

When he's done, collapses to the side of her, grabbing her and pulling her over so she's lying on his chest. Both of them are heaving, trying to catch their breaths, yet comfortably fitted together. His arm is around her back, as hers lies limply across his chest. Once he's caught his breath, he leans forward and places a kiss on the top of her head.

"I don't think any girl I know has had an orgasm the first time they had sex," Brooke giggles against his chest, and Lucas laughs, too. "I'm so glad I waited." Lucas shuts his eyes, wanting to hear what she says, but afraid to go back to reality. "That was amazing."

"It was," Lucas agrees, kissing her on top of the head one more time. "You were amazing."

"I didn't know what I was doing," she giggles. "You were amazing."

"I'm glad Maya is such a hard sleeper."

"Me too."

The two grow silent, and Lucas wraps his arm around her tighter. He's afraid this will be the only time this can happen. He's afraid that tomorrow he won't be able to look her in the face without feeling a horrendous amount of guilt. And most of all, he's afraid that she's going to look at him like he's a monster for allowing this to happen.

"Do you want to just sleep here tonight?" He asks, hoping to put off reality until the morning.

Brooke yawns, and then mumbles, "can I?"

"Yeah," he whispers, softly. "Stay as long as you want."

"Mmmm…I like the way that sounds."


	2. The Confusion

**Yes, I have updated this story. WOOHOO! Another story for me to slowly update! HA HA! Right now I plan on this being a four parter. There were a bunch of you who inspired me to keep going. ToddnTan, HurtsWayTooMuch, mckennaismyworld, TeamxxxBrucasxxx, Brucas2006, BDavisLScott23, Dbelp03, Tanya2byour21, bella, TeamSophia….EVERYONE who reviewed! (Sorry if I missed you) Anyway, it should be a lot of fun! I could go on, but I'm kind of in the middle of making some tacos and just wanted to get this up! Enjoy! **

_The Ravens are down by five, with only a minute left of game play. The crowd is roaring, each side of the gym shouting for their team. The teams are on the sidelines, a thirty second time-out. Lucas Scott, head coach of the Ravens, stands yelling at his players. Not in anger though, to get them pumped. His best shot taker has to ride the bench, after fouling out over half-way through the fourth quarter, and the team he has on the floor now is dragging ass. _

_"Come on guys! You can do this!" Lucas pats one of his players on the back. "Get your head in the game! Ravens on three. 1..2..3..Ravens!" _

_Lucas sighs, and wipes his forehead. He turns his head to look up at the scoreboard. Still the same. His eyes wander down the wall, and the cheerleaders catch his eye. Not the cheerleaders; one cheerleader in particular. Brooke Davis. The one student he has that makes him believe he is in the right field. She's gorgeous in her tight blue Ravens cheerleader uniform, short skirt and all. She does a kick, and throws her arms in the air, shaking her pom poms and smiling that huge smile of hers. Just a little piece of skin is showing at her abdomen with her arms raised. She brings her arms down, and then gives Lucas a wink right before giving him a shy smile. He smiles back, and turns his attention back to the court. He shouldn't even be looking at one of his students like that, anyway. But, there is just something about Brooke Davis, and he's not even sure he can explain it. _

"I did something really stupid, Nathan." Lucas speaks as he's bouncing the ball off the river court.

"And that's a surprise, how?" Nathan chuckles, putting his hands up so Lucas can pass him the ball. "I hope Haley is okay with all of the kids by herself. Maybe we shouldn't have left her alone with all of them."

"Or, maybe you guys could invest in a form of birth control and stop having them," Lucas rebounds the ball for Nathan.

"Be nice man," Nathan chuckles. "We love our kids."

"I know you do. I'm not saying you don't. I'm saying that after five kids, you'd think you'd want to get a vasectomy or something," Lucas teases him.

"You know how Haley is with that religious stuff. She wants as many kids as the good Lord intended her to have," Nathan explains. "And I really really like making them."

"She's not ready to give that up yet?" Lucas asks.

"I think she's getting there. The other day I came home from work and she looked like a wreck. Her hair was all over the place, she had dirt from head to toe, and her clothes were ripped, because I guess the nanny had to go home early because she was sick. I thought Hales was going to have a nervous breakdown. That night she said something about getting her tubes tied. I don't know. All I know is as soon as she starts withholding sex from me, I'll go and get one."

Lucas bounces the basketball a few times, and then shoots it, making it soar right through the net, no rim. "Speaking of sex, I did something really stupid the other day."

"Yeah, you mentioned that. What is it? Did you finally have sex with someone? I swear I thought you were going monk on me." Nathan grabs the ball, and drives into the hoop, ending with a lay up.

"I don't even know if I should tell you," Lucas sighs. "I mean, this is epic."

"Just get it out, Lucas. Is this the reason why you needed to get away just the two of us? You don't want Haley finding out?"

"Oh, no. Haley definitely cannot find out because I do not want some long lecture from her about how I need to grow up. It's bad enough she's threatening to set me up with all of her church friends."

"Hey. Some of her church friends are pretty hot. The no sex before marriage thing kind of sucks, though."

"She's not giving you any, is she?"

"Hell no. She's afraid to get pregnant."

Lucas laughs. He loves his brother and his wife to death. It's hilarious watching the two together. Their fights are pointless, usually ending with Nathan making funny faces, and Haley rolling her eyes. Their kids are full of energy, and usually it's so hard to keep up with all of them that their house is always destroyed. But he loves them all to death.

"So, who did you sleep with? And if you say that old hag that keeps hitting on you from the school, I will seriously slam your head into the bleachers." Nathan stops dribbling, and puts all of his attention onto his brother.

"No! No, definitely not her," Lucas shakes his head. "Worse." He sighs. "Wait! No, not worse like as in looks. No, this girl is…" He looks up towards the sky and a bright smile appears on his face. Nathan cocks his head to the side, looking at his brother oddly. "She's absolutely gorgeous," Lucas says dreamily. He shakes his head, and comes back down from the clouds. "But completely off limits."

"Who is it? Was it one of those church girls? I know they all preach religion and stuff, but you're not going to hell because of one time, man."

"No," Lucas shakes his head. "Not one of those church girls. A girl from the school."

"Really! Which teacher? Is it that one teacher that Isobel has?"

"No," Lucas shakes his head, frustrated Nathan keeps interrupting him. "Not a teacher. A student."

"What!" Nathan exclaims, the ball falling from his hands. "Lucas!"

"I mean, an ex-student. Do you remember Brooke Davis? The one that baby sits for me all the time?"

"Yeah," Nathan nods his head. "She is fucking hot."

"Her. I slept with her."

"Damn," Nathan shakes his head, leaning over to pick up the basketball. "She's eighteen?" Lucas nods. "And she has graduated?" Lucas nods again. "You're a dumbass. Why would you even get yourself caught up in something like that?"

"I know! I know. I just-she came on to me. She was telling me all these-she said she loved me!" Lucas rubs his hand over his face. It's been a week since it's happened, and he still can't get any part of it out of his head. And not just how guilty he feels, but how sexy and perfect she was.

"So, let me get this straight, you slept with some girl that has a major crush on her _teacher_? I mean, hello, Lucas, of course she's in love with you! How many teachers were we in love with during our high school career?"

"Nathan! I don't need you to yell at me, I need some advice!"

"You're way past advice, man. Have you at least talked to her since? You know how psycho high school girls can be. You have to play nice, otherwise she could tell her parents and your career can go straight down the tubes."

"I don't think Brooke would do that," Lucas shakes his head. "She's not like that. I'm just- I'm freakin out! How could I do something like that? Am I that weak that I can't even resist one of my students?

"She is pretty hot, dude. Hell, I don't think I'd be able to turn her down if she was throwing herself at me."

"You wouldn't be able to even look at the girl without having Haley cut your nuts off," Lucas laughs.

"Oh, right," Nathan nods his head. "I don't know, dude. Maybe, maybe it was just a one time thing. I mean, she is over eighteen and graduated. It's not illegal or anything. Have you at least called her?"

"No," Lucas shakes his head.

"Damn. You just kicked her out right afterwards?"

_Lucas wakes up before Brooke does, probably because he's used to getting up early with Maya. But, even Maya hasn't woken up yet. He should tell Brooke to get up and go before Maya does wake up, but he can't force himself to wake the peaceful woman lying in his bed. So, instead, he gets up and throws a pair of pajama pants on. He's not sure if Brooke wants to wear her clothes from the night before, so he lays out a t-shirt and some sweatpants of his for her before going downstairs to the kitchen. _

_His conscience is weighing heavily on his mind as he sips on his morning coffee. He should have known better than to do what he had done the night before. But, damn, was it good. He's not even sure why it was so good because it's not like she-it was just that. He can't even begin to explain it. His mind is wandering too much, so he gets up and pulls out the eggs for breakfast. He can at least make breakfast for her before she has to go. _

_The weird thing is, he can't wait to see her. There are times he has to physically restrain himself from going up stairs just to watch her sleep and maybe brush the hair off her face. But he fights it and continues to make breakfast. _

_"Daddy?" Lucas turns from the stove to find his little girl wiping the sleep from her eyes, dressed in her pink nightgown. _

_"Hey baby girl," he walks over to her and picks her up. She wraps her arms around his neck in a hug, and he relishes in the feeling. "Did you sleep good last night?" He asks, pulling back from the hug. _

_"Yeah," she nods. _

_"Did you have fun with Brooke?" He asks, putting a strand of her hair behind her ear. _

_"Yeah," she answers again. Maya is not a morning person. It usually takes her about thirty minutes to really get to full speed. "Daddy, is Brooke still here? That's her purse." She points across the room. Lucas follows her finger, and notices Brooke's purse. _

_"Yeah. She spent the night last night," he answers, hoping she doesn't want much more detail than that. _

_"How come?" _

_"Um, she didn't want to go home," he answers. He hates lying to his daughter, but he can't exactly tell her why she didn't go home. "I'm making breakfast, do you want to help?" _

_"Is it for Brooke?" _

_"Yep, and for my baby girl." _

_"Okay." _

_Lucas brings a chair over to the stove for Maya, and they continue to make breakfast together. It's not until after Lucas has sat Maya at the table with her plate that Brooke comes down. And Lucas smiles the moment he sees her entering the kitchen. She's wearing his clothes, and she looks great in them. They're loose on her, but she looks awesome. Especially with her hair up in a messy bun. Lucas silently scolds himself for continuing to find her so attractive. _

_"Morning," he speaks first. _

_"Morning," she smiles back. "Hi Maya." _

_"Brooke!" The little girl squeals. "Me and daddy made you some breakfast. You can sit there next to me." She points to a chair next to hers. _

_"Daddy and I," Lucas corrects her daughter, and she rolls her eyes. _

_"Oh," Brooke says, surprised. "Well, thank you. Both of you." She looks up at Lucas with a nervous smile. _

_Lucas sets a plate down in front of Brooke, and then makes himself a plate. He's nervous. He doesn't remember being this nervous around anyone before. But for some reason, his hands are shaking, and they're sweating. He doesn't even know if he can make it to the table with his plate of food. _

_"Um," Broke clears her throat, and looks at Maya, "I'm sorry," she whispers, "I should have left before anyone woke up." _

_"It's okay," Lucas smiles. "Um, I don't mind. Really." _

_A silence grows among the three while they eat their food. Both adults are too nervous to talk, so instead they just keep sharing awkward glances, and smiles. _

_"Are you going to be my new mommy?" Maya breaks the silence, and both adults about choke on their food. "Aunt Haley keeps saying daddy needs to find me a mommy, so I was just wondering." _

"No, I didn't just kick her out," Lucas denies. "She stayed the night."

"She what?" Nathan exclaims. "Did Maya see her?"

"Yeah," Lucas nods. "It's no big deal, though. Maya loves Brooke."

"You want to be with her, don't you?" Nathan asks, and Lucas starts to shake his head. "Don't deny it, Lucas. If you didn't, you'd be like whatever, because what you did is not illegal. A little on the unethical side, but not illegal. No, if it were just that, you wouldn't be freaking like you are. You want to be with this girl."

"I-ugh! I can't-that's not what it is! I can't be with her! She was my student!"

"Your favorite student. You did pay a lot of attention to her."

"I was-she-her parents were never around! She needed someone to show her some guidance."

"Lucas, you are sick." Nathan starts to joke. "You are one sick man. I mean, you picked this girl freshman year and shaped her into exactly what you wanted. And now, you want to pretend like you're having some moral dilemma here, when really, you just want to make yourself look better."

Lucas stands in one spot, his mouth hanging open. Where did Nathan get all of that from? He didn't pick Brooke and make her into what he wanted. She was just someone that stuck out to him. Someone that could be great if they were shown some positive attention.

"I'm kidding, man," Nathan laughs. "You really are an idiot."

"How come all of our conversations have you calling me an idiot?"

"Because you are," Nathan laughs, starting to bounce the basketball again. "Do you remember when you bought Maya a basketball instead of that Barbie she wanted? Idiot. Or when Haley asked you to buy tampons for her, and you come over with some diapers."

"I don't buy those things! And why was she calling me to buy those things! Where were you?"

"I told her hell no, to call you because you're the only idiot I knew that would agree to it."

"Sometimes I forget why I even talk to you about anything."

"You love me," Nathan laughs.

The two go silent for a little bit, and start their game back up. Lucas contemplates what Nathan has said. Maybe he really does want to be with Brooke, and that's why he's having such a hard time with this. Because he knows something like this could never work out. No matter how much he wants it. He doesn't even know if it's something she wants. For all he knows, she just wanted him to take her virginity. He wonders if he should maybe mention that to Nathan.

"She was a virgin," Lucas blurts out.

Nathan halts in his tracks, and looks at Lucas. "You're kidding, right?" Lucas shakes his head. "Damn, dude. Did she tell you this?" Lucas nods his head. "She wasn't lying?"

"No, I'm pretty sure she wasn't."

"So, you took her virginity on top of it all?" Nathan scoffs. "Damn. I'm going to have to become a teacher so I can take some hot ass girl's virginity."

Lucas sighs. His brother can really be such an ass sometimes. He grabs the ball and shoots it, but it misses. He groans, but goes to grab the ball. As he brings his eyes up from the ground, a brunette catches his eye. He stares at the petite girl for a moment. She's so far away, he can't tell if it's Brooke or not, but it looks a lot like her. She's with someone, and bouncing up and down, obviously excited over something. He continues to stare, hoping she'll turn around so he can see if it is her.

_It's a Friday night, and Lucas is at the club. Not exactly how he wants to spend his Friday night, but Haley forced him to go with some girl she knew. She's keeping Maya for the night for him, and he can only imagine the kind of ideas Haley has put into this girl's head about what could happen. He's a gentleman, though, so he buys her a drink and makes nice. _

_"This is an all ages club?" She asks. Her name is Lindsey. And she is very pretty, but Lucas isn't interested in starting a relationship with anyone. _

_"Yeah," he nods his head. She's kind of boring. But then, he thinks maybe he's the boring one because he can't think of anything to say. "My mom owns it." _

_"Oh! Cute," she smiles and takes a sip of her drink. "So, Haley says you're a teacher?" Lucas nods. "High school?" _

_"Yep," Lucas nods. "I'm the basketball coach, too." _

_"Oh, how fun," she smiles. "So, um, you want to dance or something?" _

_"I'm not really a dancer," he winces and smiles apologetically. She gets a sad smile on her face. "I mean, we could, but it would be really humiliating. So bad, I would probably have to take you home with broken feet." _

_"I won't mind!" She yells over the loud music. _

_"I don't thi-" a familiar brunette catches his eye, and he turns to look at her. She's out on the dance floor, swaying her hips along to the beat of the music. A guy tries to come up and dance with her, but she shoos him away, and just continues to enjoy the music on her own. Her tight black dress shows every curve of her body as her waist flexes back and forth. Her arms slowly slink up her sides, to her hair and then above her head. Her eyes are closed, and her lips are moving ever so slightly along to the lyrics of the song. Lucas' ears perk up, trying to decipher the words, so he can remember this song. _

_"Touch my body, put me on the floor wrestle me around, play with me some more touch my body put me on the bed I just want to make you feel like you never did touch my body let me wrap my thighs all around your face just a little taste touch my body feel on my curves come on and give me what I deserve."_

_He likes this beat. He likes it a lot. Then he watches as some other guy comes up to Brooke, and she gives him a smile and he stands behind her and starts to grind against her. "You know, I will dance with you." He reaches his hand across to Lindsey, and she gladly accepts it. _

_He leads her to the middle of the floor, where he grabs her hips, and spins her so that he can see Brooke. The two keep up with the beat of the music, but they're awkward. There's no connection between them. It doesn't help that Lucas can't keep his eyes off his favorite student. _

_A few songs later, they give up on dancing and head back over to their table. Lucas excuses himself, saying he needs to use the restroom and get them some more drinks, but he takes the route closest to Brooke on his way there. She's excited to see him, which is weird to him, but makes him smile. _

_"Hi Mr. Scott," she smiles. "Having fun?" _

_"Um, yeah," he nods with a smile. "Do me a favor, and don't call me Mr. Scott while we're out, okay? It's bad enough I'm already the oldest one in here." _

_"You are not," she laughs. "On a date?" _

_"Um, kind of," he shrugs. "It's not going real well." _

_"She's not pretty enough for you," Brooke says. "I mean-" _

_"Here ya go, babe," the guy she was dancing with earlier walks up and hands her a drink. She blushes, but takes the drink. The guy smiles at her, and then looks up at Lucas with squinted eyes. "Do I know you?" _

_"Um, no," Lucas shakes his head and takes a step back. "I'm Brooke's teacher." _

_"Teacher?" The guy scoffs. "I didn't know teachers were allowed to leave the school." _

_"Um, Mr. Scott, this is Owen," Brooke introduces. "He's uh, he's-" _

_"Her date," Owen answers, and Brooke looks at Lucas through sad eyes. Lucas gives her a smile. "Oh! Hey! Smitty!" Owen yells and walks off, leaving Lucas and Brooke alone again. _

_"This is not alcoholic," Brooke holds her drink up for Lucas to see. "I swear-" _

_"It's okay," Lucas laughs. "I'm not going to tell." _

_"Oh," she breathes out. "Um, he's older than I am." _

_"And still not as mature," Lucas raises an eyebrow. "Don't let him hurt you, Brooke, okay?" _

_"Brooke? Not Miss Davis?" Brooke smirks, taking a sip from her drink. _

_"Well, we are outside of school," he blushes. "Just, be careful with him, okay? I've met plenty of guys like him in college, and they're bad news." _

_"Thanks, Mr. Scott. I will," she smiles up at him from her drink. "Be careful with those," she points to Lindsey. "They're completely boring." _

_Lucas laughs. "Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Have fun, Brooke. And don't forget about that paper due on Monday." _

_"It's done," she smirks, and kinks an eyebrow. "I'm way ahead of you."_

_Lucas smiles, really pleased with her. "Good, Brooke. I'll see you on Monday, then." He starts to walk off. _

_"See you, Mr. Scott." _

_Lucas stops, and turns around. "Lucas," he corrects her with a smile and turns back around. _

The brunette starts to turn around, and at the same time Nathan throws the ball and hits Lucas in the back of the head. "Damn it!" Lucas curses. "What the hell did you do that for?" He turns around.

"I've been saying your name for like the past ten minutes! What the hell were you doing?"

"I was-"

"Hey Mr. Scott."

Lucas whirls around at the sound of his name. It's Brooke. And her friend Rachel. Brooke is standing awkwardly, with her hands across her chest, while Rachel stands with her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. Lucas stares at Brooke's face, and she slowly looks up at him, a smile crossing her lips as she does so.

He clears his throat, "Um, hi, Miss Gattina, Miss Davis." He greets them.

"So this is like your hang out or something?" Rachel asks.

"Yeah," he nods. "And this is my younger brother, Nathan."

"Hi!" Nathan waves, shooting the ball into the hoop. He doesn't get the basketball, and instead goes over and stands next to Lucas.

"Damn, is everyone in your family hot?" Rachel's eyes roam up and down Nathan's body.

"He's my half-brother, and he's married," Lucas chuckles.

"Damn," she says with disappointment. "I don't care if you're married," the red head talks to Nathan.

"Rach," Brooke grabs her friend's arm. "Put some ice on it, whore."

Rachel grumbles. "You never let me have any fun."

"How have you been, um, Mi-Miss Davis?" Lucas asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Goo-"

"So now it's back to Miss Davis?" Rachel snorts. "I'm sure that's not what you were saying the other night."

Brooke gasps, while Nathan laughs loudly, and Lucas just starts to blush. He had to figure Brooke would tell Rachel; she is her best friend and all. He just wishes she wouldn't have.

"Rachel," Brooke scolds. "Um, I'm sorry Mr.-"

"Lucas," he interrupts her. "And it's okay. I've been, uh, wanting to, you know-"

"It's okay," Brooke stops him. "I've been pretty busy with stuff. How is Maya?"

"She's good. She's at Haley's right now, probably going crazy."

"Are you saying my kids are enough to drive your daughter crazy?" Nathan asks.

"Well, no, they're great, it's just that they can be kind of wild sometimes, and it gives Maya a headache and-"

"So, you're saying my kids are out of control?" Nathan crosses his arms over his chest.

"No, I'm saying that there are so many of them that-"

"Now you're making fun of me having so many kids again?"

Brooke and Rachel start to burst out laughing, interrupting the fight, and they both look at them and stop their fight. "So, uh, Brooke, you could come over tonight. I think Maya misses you," Lucas says shyly.

"Yeah, sure," Brooke nods. "Um, I'd love to see her."

"I'm sure that's all you want to see," Rachel snorts.

"Stop being a bitch, Rach," Brooke scolds her. "Please excuse Rachel, she forgot to take her bitch pill this morning."

"I'm used to it," Lucas chuckles.

"Hey!" Rachel exclaims.

Brooke puts her hand over Rachel's mouth before she can go on. "She also hasn't gotten laid in like over a week, so she's a bit bitter."

"Hey, Lucas, you could say the same thing, right?" Nathan chuckles hitting Lucas in the arm and walking back to the basketball court.

"Excuse Nathan, his wife won't have sex with him because she's afraid to get pregnant," Lucas says, loud enough for Nathan to hear.

"At least mine didn't leave me for another chic!" Nathan laughs, grabbing his basketball and starting to shoot again.

"Hey! I really don't mind that you're married!" Rachel speaks up, going towards Nathan. "And I would NEVER withhold sex from you."

"Oh God," Brooke sighs. "Sometimes I feel like she needs a leash."

Lucas laughs. "So, um, tonight is cool?"

"Yeah," she nods.

"We should, maybe talk about, you know," Lucas looks towards the ground as he speaks. "I've, um, missed you," he peaks up at her slowly, hopefully. "I mean, since I don't see you every day in class."

She chuckles. "I've missed you too, _Mr. Scott_." He cringes. "But, um, yeah, we should talk, or whatever."

The two fall into an uncomfortable silence. "So, this is weird, right?" Brooke laughs, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," Lucas chuckles.

"I should probably go and get Rachel before she strips naked to try to get your brother to do her," Brooke points towards her friend, and his brother. "I'll see you tonight, around eight, or something?"

"Yeah," he nods. "Sounds good." He smiles, and she starts to walk away. "Brooke," he stops her, and she turns around. "I'm glad I saw you today," he smiles, and she smiles back.

The two brothers meet on the court, and watch as the two hottest girls of the graduating class walk away from them. "Damn, why do I feel like I've just had a flash back to high school?"

"I don't think girls were that hot when we were in high school," Lucas chuckles.

"Speak for yourself," Nathan turns to him. "Haley is damn hot. Even after five kids. Peyton, not so much."

"Hey!" Lucas grows defensive. "She wasn't that bad."

"Not as hot as them, though." Nathan points towards the two girls.

"I don't think I've ever met someone as beautiful as Brooke Davis," Lucas says, whimsically.

"You really do want to be with that girl," Nathan shakes his head. "Did you want to be with her when she was fourteen, too?" Nathan laughs. "You're sick, Lucas. Very sick."

"Shut up, Nathan," Lucas sighs. "I did not want to be with her when she was fourteen. I didn't even know I wanted to be with her until last week."

"So you admit it!"

Lucas rolls his eyes, but he's done denying it. It doesn't matter what he says, Nathan will give him shit about it anyway. So, he resorts to shutting his mouth, and joining his brother in a one on one game. There's nothing like a game of basketball to clear your head. And Lucas really wants to clear his head.

_"I don't get it," Brooke sighs, throwing her pencil onto the table. "I will never get it. I'm just too stupid for this. You shouldn't waste your time with me, because that's all I am. A waste of time." _

_Lucas furrows his eyebrows as he watches this young lady breakdown. It makes him so mad that she could even think this about herself. What in her life could ever cause her to think she was a waste of time? He picks up her pencil, and reaches it towards her. She rolls her eyes, but she grabs the pencil anyway. Gently, he places his hand over hers, and she looks up at him, directly in the eyes. _

_"You can do this, Brooke," Lucas speaks, softly. "I know you can do this. You're over thinking it. Just calm down, okay? You're not a waste of my time. You're not a waste of anyone's time. Okay?" She stares blankly at him for a moment before she nods her head. She breathes in deeply, and starts to read it again. _

_"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing," Brooke reads aloud. "I know this is by Abe Lincoln and all, but really, Mr. Scott, why do I have to analyze it?" _

_"Because this pertains very closely to high school life," he sighs. "Tell me what you think it means." _

_"I don't know," she shrugs. "I think it means-uh-well, something like, um, th-that no matter who we are, our shadow always follows us?" _

_"Right," Lucas nods with a smile. "And this is Abe Lincoln saying this, so just knowing he felt this way, doesn't it make it kind of surreal?" _

_"Surreal?" Brooke questions. "I think it makes it kind of creepy some really old dead president was afraid of his reputation." _

_Lucas chuckles. "What I meant is that for ages and decades and years, people have been judging others by their previous actions. That no matter what one has done, one little blemish, one little mess up, scars a person for life." _

_"I don't think it matters," Brooke shrugs. "I don't really care what people think of me." _

_"Good," Lucas smiles with a nod. "And you never should. Because your own opinion about yourself is all that matters." _

_"Now I have to write a one page paper describing how this quote relates to me?" She questions, a frown on her face. _

_"Yep," Lucas nods. "Well, maybe not about you in particular. You don't have to make it personal, but just someone you know, or maybe even some situation you witnessed." _

It's dark in Lucas' house. He hasn't turned any lights on yet. It's also eerily quiet. Usually, Maya would be running through the house yelling, but she had begged to stay the night at Nathan and Haley's, and as much as he knows those two couldn't handle one more kid, he really kind of wants to be alone with Brooke. He gave in to his daughter's pleas, and let her say over night with her cousins. Now, he sits in a dark and silent house, waiting for dinner to finish and for Brooke to show up.

It's nearly eight, but time seems to be moving slower the closer it gets. He's so nervous that he's changed clothes a few times, and also checked himself in the mirror at least a hundred times. He shouldn't be like this. He knows he shouldn't, but there is just something about Brooke Davis that keeps him on his toes. And even that makes him nervous, but he's not sure he'll be able to say no to anything she wants.

His phone beeps, signaling he has a voicemail, and wonders why it never rang. He hopes it's not Haley calling to tell him she's on the verge of suicide from the kids. He dials his voicemail, and puts the phone to his ear. "Hey, um, Lucas, I just wanted to let you know that something came up. I'm going to be a little late. I'm so sorry. I'll see you when I get there."

Lucas sighs, and puts his phone back in his pocket. Damn it. Now he has to wait even longer for her to show up. Which means he has even more time to panic and worry. He knows he needs to find something to do, otherwise he's going to drive himself crazy. So, he goes into his office, and pulls out the essay Brooke wrote her freshman year.

_Not a lot of people know this about me, but I was an accident. At least, that's what my parents tell me every chance they get. So, when Abraham Lincoln talks about a tree's shadow being its reputation, I get it. My reputation is that I am the rich, spoiled girl who has everything and everyone at her whim. And I'm supposed to be happy all the time, and I try to keep up the act, but sometimes it gets hard. I don't have everything. I don't have a mother, who as I was a little girl sang me to sleep, or once I got older, showed me how to wear make-up and how to deal with boys. I don't have a father who is protective, and waiting at the door every time a date is coming over to pick me up. So, I get it. I get that the tree is the real person, but that everyone seems to look past the tree at the shadow. Why is that? The tree is always so much more beautiful than the shadow, but no one seems to care. So, I go on living my life, trying to live up to my reputation as the spoiled rich girl, but I'm not. You have to have someone to spoil you to be spoiled. _

Lucas closes his eyes and thinks back on the young Brooke Davis. She was strikingly beautiful, even back then, yet she was vulnerable. He could see it in her. And he knew if someone didn't step in with the right influence, all the wrong ones would come along, and she'd end up hating who she was. So, he did. Back then, he did it because that's what he wanted to do as a teacher. Change lives. Now he wonders if there have been selfish reasons every time he stepped into her life and gave her advice.

That cant be true, though. He refuses to believe that he took such an interest in Brooke just because he had ulterior motives. He's always thought she was attractive, any red-blooded male would, but until last week he had never even came remotely close to thinking about her in a sexual way. But for the last week, he hasn't been able to help thinking that maybe fate had brought her to him. Because for some reason he can't help but think that their souls are attached in some way.

It's 9:30 when he finally hears a knock on the door, and his dinner is cold. He gets up from the table and answers the door. It's a soaked Brooke. Some time during the last couple of hours it started to rain, and Lucas didn't even notice it. He pulls her in by the arm, and asks if she's cold. She nods a little, so he runs his hands up and down her arms, to try and warm her. He tells her to wait while he goes to get a towel, but she stops him.

"It's okay," she shakes her head. "I'm okay."

"You should really get out of those wet clothes," he says.

"Um," she bites her lip and looks towards the side. "You have to stop treating me like a child."

Lucas stares blankly at her, wondering why she would tell him that. "I'm not," he tries to defend himself. "I just don't want you to get sick."

A low laugh escapes her lips. "I'm not your student anymore, Lucas. And I'm not your child. So, please, just stop treating me like I am."

"Brooke, I would do this for you whether or not you had been my student or not. It's what I am supposed to do."

"Why can't you just skip the towel part and get me out of my wet clothes?" She cocks an eyebrow, and bites her bottom lip. Lucas stiffens, literally.

"I-I thought," he clears his throat, "we were going to talk." He fidgets a little with his ear lobe, and then rubs the back of his neck. "Um, why were you late? Are you okay?"

Brooke nods. "Parents are home," she rolls her eyes. "They like to pretend like they're parents when they're here."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lucas' eyes fall to the floor. "I'll be right back."

Lucas exits before she can say anything else. When he gets to his room, he draws in a deep breath to try to calm himself down. After a few deep breaths, he gets into his dresser and pulls out some sweat pants and a sweatshirt for her to wear. Because yes, he would love nothing more than to make love to Brooke again, but he doesn't want it to be everything they're about.

"Here," he hands her the clothes once he comes back. "You're shivering." She shakes her head and takes the clothes from him. "You can change in the bathroom if you want. Do you want something to drink?"

"Wine?"

"Um," Lucas clears his throat again. "Sure, I think I have some."

He goes into the kitchen, and comes back with two wine glasses, and a bottle of wine. "I found so-" He voice gets caught in his throat as he watches Brooke pulls her soaked jeans down her legs.

"I didn't think you would mind," she shrugged as she turned from having her back to him to face him. Her perfectly shaped body is clad only in a red lacy bra and underwear.

"N-no," Lucas chokes out. "I-it's f-fine," he forces a smile onto his face. Brooke smiles widely and pulls on Lucas' clothes. Lucas has a hard time focusing on the drinks he's pouring as he sadly watches Brooke get dressed. Damn she's sexy. "So, your parents are back?"

"Yeah," Brooke rolls her eyes as she grabs a wine glass and sits comfortably on his couch. "Apparently they don't think I'm smart enough to go to med school."

"They said that?" Lucas asks, astonished. He has never been able to understand why Brooke's parents had such little faith in her.

"Pretty much," she nods, taking a sip of his wine. "They think I would be more successful as a trophy wife to my dad's colleague's son. That's why I was so late. I had to go to dinner with all of them."

For some reason, a bit of rage surges through Lucas at the thought of her parents trying to set her up with someone else. "Um, how did it go?" He takes a drink, as if his question doesn't mean anything.

"Oh, it was a blast," she answers sarcastically. "Afterwards, I told my parents that there was someone else," she eyes his.

"Oh," is all Lucas can say. Although, he is a bit relieved. "And what did they say?"

"They weren't happy," she sighs. "It's funny because they've never actually been in my life, but they've always tried to control it. Like this potential marriage thing," she rolls her eyes. "Like I want to give up all of my dreams just to marry some freakin billionaire jackass."

"Billionaire?" Lucas asks, weakly.

"Yeah," she nods. "They only want me to marry him because of the money. Basically, they don't want to pay for college, so instead they want me to marry into a lot of money so they can keep all of theirs. I hate them."

"I'm sorry," Lucas says softly, because it's all he knows what to say. He has no idea what it's like to have inattentive parents. He only had one, but she was the best one a kid could ever have. "If I could give you new parents, I would." He tries to cheer her up.

Brooke chuckles a little. "You gave me the best you could," she smiles at him. "You gave me a chance when no one else was willing to do so."

Lucas smiles back at her. Then, he starts to feel a little guilty. Like maybe he's not taking advantage of the young girl he's tried so hard to steer in the right direction. There's a very thin line between what he's doing with her now and what he was to her before. He's always that that maybe he could just be a strong role model for her. But he's now crossed the line into an eternal darkness.

"Brooke," he sighs uneasily. "I don't know what is going on between us, and I know it's just been that one time, but I've been so confused. It's all I've been able to think about."

Brooke doesn't say anything at first. Just sits silently, staring at her glass of wine. "I don't either," she shrugs. "And it's all I've thought about for the past four years."

"I feel like I've taken advantage of our relationship. I wanted to be this positive role model for you, and now all I've proven is that guys are all scum. _I_ couldn't even resist you. I can't imagine how that makes you feel." Lucas hangs his head a little. "But, at the same time, I can't fight this feeling of fate between us. Like there was always meant to be something more."

"You didn't take advantage of me," Brooke shakes her head and stands. Slowly, she walks towards him and slides into his lap. "I'm a big girl, Lucas. I know the difference between right and wrong. I've wanted this for so long. And I think you got it right when you said something about fate intervening. If I didn't have you for those years, who knows how many guys I would have been under, or what my grades would have been. You made me a better person, Lucas."

She rests her hands on his chest, and slowly grazes them upwards until they are wrapped around his neck. "From the first time I saw you, I knew I had to have you," she whispers.

"It was just a high school crush, though," Lucas tries to undermine what she's saying. "You were young, and I was your teacher. Of course you're going to feel that way. I felt that way about my teachers."

"I don't think you felt for your teachers what I felt for you," she shakes her head.

"This can't work, though, can it?" He looks up into her eyes, pleadingly. "I mean, this thing between us could never actually work. It would ruin me. It would ruin you."

"No one has to know," she whispers. "What happens between us is between us. It's _our_ relationship, not theirs."

"You want to keep us a secret?" He asks, bring his eyes up to meet hers finally.

"I think until people are ready to accept us, it would be the best thing to do," she nods.

"Yeah," Lucas nods, gaining some enthusiasm. "No one has to know. And we could have us. We could have a relationship. And Maya would love you coming around more. She wouldn't mind. But, Brooke, I wouldn't be able to take you on dates or anything. Not like a normal relationship."

"That's okay," she shrugs. "It's okay, because I can just come over here and you can make me dinner. Or we could take Maya to the park. We could even go to Charlotte if we have to."

Lucas' heart starts to pound with the idea. He can have Brooke, and still keep his career. He's beyond excited. His life seems to be somehow looking brighter. He slips a hand behind her head and pulls her face to his. Softly, his lips caress hers for what seems like only moments. She stands up, and puts both legs on either side of him, and crashes her lips against his, not completely satisfied with the tender kiss from before. Their kisses continue to get deeper and deeper and her hands are roaming his body. And he knows he needs to stop them before he can no longer.

"Brooke," he breaks away, leaving her feeling empty. "We can take this slow," he whispers. "We don't need to rush."

"Mmm…" she groans. "But, I want-"

"If we're going to do this, then we're going to do it right. I don't want it to just be about sex," he shakes his head.

She crinkles her nose. "But, I've been wanting you so bad all week," she pouts.

He smirks. "Let's eat some dinner."


	3. The Heartache

_**This chapter has some considerable mood swings! LOL Anyway…I hope it's not too rushed! I've been trying to write this for two weeks now! I hope it's okay! I think only one more chapter left…and at the rate I am going, who knows when that'll be published! LOL **_

_**So…enjoy!**_

_**And watch for a chapter for Ruins…because that's coming up next! **_

Lucas doesn't recognize the hard beat of the song that Brooke has put on. He sits on his bed; waiting patiently for the surprise she had been so adamant about giving him. The beat gets louder and lyrics now come booming from the speakers as Brooke bursts from his bathroom door, dressed in his button-up white dress shirt, striped dress pants, and a tie hung loosely around her neck. And suddenly, Lucas can no longer hear the music.

Brooke starts dance moves that mesmerize Lucas. Her hips sway back and forth, her hands slide down her torso. She turns around, and dips forward, so her ass is in the air, and then slaps it as she slowly stands back up. Lucas feels his pants grow tighter as she turns around with her fingers at the button on her pants. She undoes it slowly, and quickly shimmies out of the dress pants.

"Got it bad, got it bad, got it bad…I'm hot for teacher!"

Lucas chuckles as the lyrics finally penetrate his hearing. It's only a second before his hearing is once again gone, and all of his concentration is back on the brunette vixen in front of him. Her body is moving perfectly, hitting each dance move with such ease and precision. Her hips gyrate and her breasts bounce. And when she starts to unbutton her shirt, Lucas gulps. He has never had such a sweet surprise.

The top buttons are undone, and the shirt is open enough to expose the red lacy bra underneath, and the milky skin of her stomach. She walks forward towards Lucas, and rests both legs on either side of him. She bends down and nips at his ear, before pressing her chest in his face. Her hips rock back and forth in his lap. And Lucas _knows_ he's about to explode.

The sexy brunette stands back up, and undoes the rest of the buttons on her shirt. It glides down her arms, and lands on the floor. She turns around and sits in his lap. She rubs her ass against his ever-growing hardness and Lucas moans. She bends her head back and rests it on his shoulder, and Lucas immediately clamps his mouth down on her neck.

"Got it bad, so bad…I'm hot for teacher!"

She grabs his hand and places it on her breast as she continues to gyrate against him. He squeezes her for only a brief second before she takes his hand and throws it back. She stands back up and faces him. Her hands snake behind her and she expertly undoes her bra. Lucas' mouth drops open as her perfect breasts bounce into display. Her hands glide down her sides and she hooks her thumps into the strings of her underwear. She teases Lucas as she pretends like she's going to take her panties off, before swiftly pulling them down her legs and tossing them to the side. She's now only in a tie, and Lucas has to grab it. His fingers clasp around the material, and he pulls her towards him.

Her bare body straddles Lucas' hips. His hands grab onto her backside. Their lips meet in a passionate kiss. Brooke pulls at the hem of his shirt, and their lips part only long enough for the shirt to be pulled over his head. Her hands then find his fly, and she undoes the button and zipper. Lucas wraps his arms around her, and stands up so that his pants fall around his ankles. Brooke uses her feet to get his boxers down his hips, and he falls back onto the bed. She can no longer wait until he is inside of her, so she climbs up his body, and expertly sits against him so that he slides deeply within her.

She's absolutely gorgeous. Her head is bent back, her chest is exposed, and Lucas can hear her chanting his name. The tie lies limply between the valley of her breasts. He lies flat on his back, hands grasping either sides of her hips as she rocks her pelvis against his. Her walls clench against him, and he's headed towards an explosion. He traces his hand along her hip, towards her flat stomach, up to her exposed breast. She gasps when he takes hold, and then clamps down, rolling her erect nipple between his fingers.

Brooke has taken complete control over him, and he's not complaining one bit. When they first started being intimate, she seemed kind of shy, and timid, but it didn't take long for her to learn the ropes. And now, she is teaching Lucas instead of the other way. And he so enjoys being the student for once.

The slap, slap of their skin colliding echoes throughout the room. And it's then he realizes he's never experienced someone so sexy and sensual in bed. Her hands rest on his thighs and her knees are bent to aid her in her motions. And all Lucas can do is whimper in delight. The hand that's still on her hip slides around the front of her pelvis, and his fingers ever so slightly graze her nub. She screams out in pleasure.

Suddenly, she lurches forward and her hands are now on his chest. Her eyes lock with his, and they just stare. Her hazel eyes are so dark with lust, and his match hers. He continues to rub at her, and she's grinding her hips faster against him. Seductively, she licks her ruby red lips, still not taking her eyes from Lucas'. He wants to kiss her, but she's in control now. _She_ tells _him_ what to do.

"MMmm, Lucas," she moans. "You feel so good."

He keeps rubbing her nub, and she keeps grinding her hips against him. She's a Goddess, he realizes. "I'm so close, Lucas," she whimpers and he tells her he is, too.

"OHHH!!!...ugh, Lucas!" She screams, and it's enough to cause Lucas to go tumbling over the edge with her. Both pant wildly as Brooke collapses forward, lying on Lucas' chest.

It's several long minutes before either has caught their breath. Brooke slowly slides off him, and with a grunt she falls to his side. Lucas grabs her arm and brings it across his chest. Brooke has become the most amazing woman he has ever met. Just her smile lights up the room, and his life. Sometimes he wonders how he has ever gone without being with her. Sometimes he reminds himself that she is so much younger than him, and his former student.

"Any plans tomorrow?" Lucas asks her.

The two have been secretly seeing each other for little over a month now. It's hard not being able to go out in public together, but there was something erotic about it, too. One night, both were at the club and sneaking glances to each other from across the room. And at one point, met up in a back room for a quickie. It was mind-blowing.

"I was thinking we could take Amaya to Charlotte and hang out there all day," Lucas suggests.

"Sure," Brooke nods. "Since we can't take her to a park or something here together," she sighs and snuggles into Lucas' side. "Do you think we'll ever be able to be seen together?"

"I don't know," Lucas wraps his arms around her. "Maybe some day. I just can't risk losing my job."

"You are finished with your second book, right?" Brooke asks, and Lucas nods his head. "So, just quit your job. You don't need it because of all the money you'll make from book sales."

"I love my job," Lucas sighs.

"Then move away with me when I go to college and get a new teaching job," Brooke rubs the tip of her nose against his.

They go through this a lot. Brooke has all kinds of suggestions, and Lucas has all kinds of excuses. He'd love to be able to throw everything away, and run off with her. But, he can't leave behind his family. He couldn't do that to his daughter. Sometimes though, he wonders if he would be losing all that much if he did actually move away.

"Okay, so say I move to be closer to you," Lucas rationalizes. "I get a job at a new school, and I get Amaya into a god school. Will you actually want me tagging along with you? You're going to college, Brooke. And college is something you need to experience."

"I know, I know," Brooke rolls onto her back. "I just can't seem to picture my life without you in it. You've been very important for me for the last four years, Lucas. You've always been that voice in my head pushing me forward, and I don't know what I would do without you. I just want you there. With me."

"I want to be there, too," Lucas traces her lips with his fingertips.

"I love you, Lucas," Brooke turns back towards him. "I love you so much. And I _need_ you."

Lucas contemplates her words. She's told him she loves him before, but this time seems so different. Like it's the first time she's saying it. Because when she said I before, it was that first night they were together, and he thought maybe it was just a weird schoolgirl crush, but as she says it this time, his heart skips a beat. It's like he knows exactly how she is feeling, but is afraid of admitting it out loud. He wants to so badly say it back to her, but he can't. He can't force himself to say it because it still feels like he is supposed to be the mature older one, and not the naïve fool in love.

Instead he says, "I'll start looking for jobs," as if it is an alterative for the word love.

. "Really?" Brooke gushes, and he nods his head. She squeals loudly and wraps her arms around his neck. And for the first time, Lucas feels hopeful that they can actually have a normal relationship.

--------------------

"Haley!" Lucas calls through the house. Nathan and Haley's house is unusually quiet, and it's a bit alarming for Lucas. It's a few moments before Haley is descending the stairs towards her brother-in-law.

"Hey Luke," she greets. "The kids are upstairs playing video games. And actually getting along."

"That's great," Lucas chuckles. "How was Maya?"

"Great, as usual," Haley smiles. "I'm kind of worried about her, though, Lucas. She's said some things to me that I think you should know."

"Like what?" Lucas asks.

"Like how she thinks she is losing her daddy like how she lost her mommy." Haley motions for Lucas to sit down at the table with her.

"Oh, she's not losing me. She knows that. She's just at that stage where everything is so dramatic, ya know?" Lucas brushes it off. Haley shrugs, and averts her eyes. She doesn't want to push the subject any farther. "I'm looking for teaching jobs somewhere else," Lucas says before he loses his courage.

"What?" Haley looks at him skeptically.

"I, um," he clears his throat, "I'm looking for teaching jobs closer to Brooke. She really wants me to be near her, and I really want to be near her."

Haley calmly takes in a breath and lets it out. "You know, for the past month I have tried very hard to keep my opinion to myself for your sake, but I can't anymore. I thought that maybe this was just some phase you were going to go through, and then get over it. Obviously, you're not."

"Hales, what are you talking about?" Lucas asks.

"I'm talking about you and your little girlfriend, Lucas. You are an _adult_, Lucas and you have a _child_ to think about. You can't just rip her away from everything she _knows_ just because of some hot young piece of ass."

"You do _not_ talk about Brooke that way," Lucas becomes angered. "How dare you even say that to me!"

"How dare I?" Haley exclaims. "Someone needs to tell you, Lucas, and I guess it has to be me. Do you know why Amaya feels like she's losing you? It's because for some reason you feel as though you need to act like you're eighteen again with no responsibilities!"

"Don't talk to me about responsibilities! I have been raising Amaya _by myself_ the best way that I can for the past three years! I know a little something about _responsibility_!"

"No, Lucas! For the past month you have been pushing Amaya off on us so that you can go play teenager with your little girlfriend! She spends more time here than she does with you! I don't want to argue with you, Lucas, but you need to know. She misses you."

"Are you saying my daughter is a burden on you?" Lucas stands from the table.

"No!" Haley stands as well. "She's not a burden on _me_. You've been acting like she's a burden on _you_. She's your daughter, Lucas. She _needs _you more than most kids need their dads because her mom left her for no reason at all. How do you think she feels when every night she's here instead of with you? All because Brooke is spending the night, too?"

"She's not here that much, Haley and you know it! And as a matter of fact, Brooke and I are taking her into Charlotte today to hang out!"

"That makes it better?" Haley scoffs. "You need to grow up, Lucas. If you think you can move away to be closer to Brooke and that it'll actually work, you're delusional! Brooke is only eighteen, Lucas and about to start college! What happens to Maya when Brooke decides it's time to move on because she's too young to be in such a serious relationship? Because, then once again, _another_ of her _mommies_ is leaving her. And what about you, Lucas? If you move away, you'll have no one!"

"I'll be fine!" Lucas roars. "Maya will be fine! You have no right to be lecturing me on growing up! I am very capable of making my own decisions, Haley, and everything that you say will no change my mind."

"Whatever, Lucas," Haley waves her hand. "When all of this blows up in your face, just remember I told you so."

Lucas rolls his eyes, but hurries up the stairs to get his daughter. "Come on, Maya, time to go."

"Daddy!" She yells excitedly. She runs towards her father and wraps her arms around his legs. "Are we going home, now?"

"Yes we are," he nods his head. "Hurry up and get your shoes. We're going to go to Charlotte."

---------

Amaya is sound asleep in the backseat, after having sung the ABC's, and numerous other songs at the tops of her lungs. They had also played every car game known to man, and played the silent game twice. Lucas looks through his rearview mirror and smiles when he sees his daughter. He's making the right decision, he knows he is.

He reaches his hand across, and grasps Brooke's. He squeezes it as he smiles at her, and she smiles back. The car speeds along the highway, and he can't wait to get to their destination so that the three of them could enjoy the day and act like a real family for once.

The car ride seems like an eternity, and Lucas is so antsy by the time they pull up to a big park they had researched in Charlotte. Brooke and Lucas get out of the car and stretch their legs before unpacking their stuff from their trunk. Lucas wakes Amaya up once they've set up everything. She yawns and stretches before realizing she's no longer being confined to the backseat of the car. She jumps out and immediately runs for the first set of play equipment she can find.

"She's excited," Brooke chuckles.

"Yeah," Lucas nods. "I think she's just glad she doesn't have to be strapped into the backseat anymore."

"Have you told her about moving yet?" Brooke questions.

Lucas shakes her head. "I haven't really had a right time to do it yet. I'm sure she'll love the idea of going someplace new, though."

"I hope so," Brooke smiles widely. "I'm going to love having you two there with me."

Lucas smiles as she kisses him, but for some reason Haley's words form earlier and still stuck in his head. He knows what Haley said is ridiculous, because she has no idea what his relationship with Brooke is like. But, there is just something nagging at him at the back of his head.

"Daddy come play with me!" Amaya shouts, and Lucas laughs.

"Come on, pretty girl," he reaches his hand out for Brooke to grab. "We have to go play now." And Brooke takes his hand and lets him lead her to the playground.

It's getting dark, and all three of their bellies are full. Amaya is giggling at something Brooke has said, and Lucas is resting back on his hands, watching the two most important women in his life get along so well. His heart swells and warms. He's never felt so whole.

"Should we get going, guys?" Lucas asks.

"No, daddy!" Amaya exclaims. "We're having fun! I don't want to go home."

"We're not going home," Lucas shakes his head. "Daddy got us a hotel room so we can stay the night here, how does that sound?"

"Really?" Maya asks, and Lucas nods. "Can we go swimming, too?"

"Sure can," Brooke tickles Maya's sides.

"What about my swimming suit?" The little blond asks.

"It's a good thing I am so good at packing, because I just so happened to pack it with all of our stuff," Brooke shrugs her eyebrows.

"Yay!" Maya shrieks. "Let's go!"

Lucas chuckles, and stands to start packing up their stuff. Amaya starts to grab random stuff without putting it away, and throws it into the backseat of the car. She can't seem to wait until they are back at the hotel. "Maya, why don't you get into your seat and daddy will be there in a minute to put your seatbelt on, okay?"

"Okay, daddy," Amaya complies.

Brooke and Lucas continue to pack up there stuff. And when finally everything is shoved into the trunk, Lucas closes it. He grabs onto Brooke's hip and pulls her close to him. "You are so beautiful," he whispers.

"Mmm.." Brooke moans. "And you are so sexy," she smiles against his lips.

Lucas presses his lips hard against hers, and slips his tongue into her mouth. He saviors her taste for a moment, before remembering his daughter is already in the car. He pulls back, and rubs his nose against hers. A permanent smile is fixated on his face. When he turns around to go buckle Maya's seatbelt, his eyes catch that of someone familiar. And his heart drops.

Principal Turner.

-------

Lucas is not in the mood to swim, so instead he sits on the side of the pool, trying to watch his daughter have fun. He can't fight off the sinking feeling in his stomach. He forces a smile every time his daughter yells for him to watch her do something. He hasn't told Brooke yet, because he's not sure how she'll react. And it's bad enough his night has been ruined.

"Come in, Lucas," Brooke begs. "The water is warm and there are two beautiful ladies waiting for you!"

"I'm sorry, guys," Lucas sighs. "I'm not feeling real good. I think I'm going to go back up to the room."

Lucas leaves before he can see the disappointed faces of his daughter and girlfriend. He knows Principal Turner seen them kissing, and he knows Principal Turner knows who Brooke is. What he doesn't know is if he's going to have a job anymore. Because not only could he get fired, he could be banned from ever having a teaching job again.

He falls back onto the bed when he gets to the room and stares up at the ceiling. His day had been perfect until that happened. Him and Brooke had been so careful. They had not once gone out in public until they went to Charlotte. If only Lucas hadn't been stupid enough to even do that. He wishes he could take back the whole day.

Brooke is carrying a sleeping Amaya when they come back to the room. She lies the precious girl on the bed and goes into the bathroom to take a shower. And she invites Lucas to join her, but he just can't. He gives her a lame excuse, and gets under the covers so she won't ask any questions when she gets out. It's twenty minutes later when she finally emerges from the bathroom. And Lucas wishes he could have fallen asleep, but he couldn't. So he pretends that he is. Brooke climbs into the bed next him, and snuggles close to him.

He feels so guilty for pretending to be asleep. He feels so guilty for shutting Brooke out. But he can't force himself to open up. She changes her position a few times, and he knows she can't fall asleep either. She's probably wondering why he had such a change in attitude.

"Lucas," she finally shakes him. "Wake up, Lucas."

"Hmm.." he mumbles.

"What's going on?" She asks. "Why are you acting so funny?"

"I don't feel good," he lies.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he answers her. "Just go to sleep, okay? I'll feel better in the morning."

"Please talk to me, Lucas," she begs. Lucas sighs, and turns onto his back.

"I can't-I can't. I don't know what to say," he shrugs. "Today was great, but I just can't go around with you, always looking over my shoulder."

Brooke is stunned. The whole day had felt right. Not once had she been worried about seeing someone that shouldn't see them together. She didn't even have a clue that Lucas had been feeling that way all day.

"There wasn-"

"There was," Lucas cuts her off. "I-"

"So what," Brooke shrugs.

"So what?" Lucas asks. "Brooke, this is my life, my career than could be ruined. I know you don't stand to lose anything, but I do."

Brooke narrows her eyebrows. "Excuse me?" She scoffs. "I'm eighteen, Lucas. I can make my own choices now. Who cares what everyone else thinks?"

"It's not just what they _think_, Brooke, it's what they can _do_ to me. Do you really think anyone will want to buy a book from a guy who's sleeping with his student?"

"So that's all I am?" Brooke asks. "A fuck partner?"

"No," Lucas shakes his head, "no you-"

"Apparently so, because you can't even tell me you love me!" Brooke exclaims. "You know, you throw this huge fit about everyone catching us and blah blah, but I don't think you're worried about losing your job. You're worried about the bad name you'll get. They can't do anything to you, Lucas. I'm eighteen and graduated. For the past month I've been playing by your rules, and keeping us a secret even though I think it's stupid. And for what? For you to break up with me when I go off to college because I wasn't anything but a simple fuck all summer long?"

"You know that's not true, Brooke!"

"Is it?" Brooke sits up in the bed. "Then tell me you love me." She demands. "Tell me right now that you are in love with me."

"Brooke, tha-"

"Wrong answer, Lucas," she gets up from the bed and starts to slip some clothes on.

"Where are you going?" He asks.

"For a walk. I can't be around you right now."

-------

Lucas hasn't seen Brooke in a few days. Not that he expected her to come around considering their last fight, and the awkward drive home. And if it had been a normal relationship, he wonders if maybe it would have been just a normal couple fight. But, since he is dealing with someone so young…he just couldn't be sure.

Haley still isn't speaking to him, and Nathan is acting different too. He's tried apologizing, but not for the right reasons. And he knows that. He just can't seem to let go of his pride yet.

Amaya's taking a nap, and Lucas can't get off the couch. He's depressed. And it's really his fault. He should have just told Brooke he loves her, but he can't. He can't build up her hopes, when he knows their relationship can't last past the summer. One of them has to be rational, and it has to be him. Because he can't move away from his life in Tree Hill to be closer to Brooke. He can't do it to Amaya, he can't do it to Brooke, and he can't do it to himself. Brooke is young, and he can't trap her into a serious relationship. He can't let her resent him.

There's a knock at his door, and he hopes that it's Brooke. He needs to see her. It's been too long since he's been able to touch her. And when he opens the door, expecting to find Brooke standing on the other side, his breath catches in his throat, and his heart starts beating out of his chest. This cannot be happening to him. He takes a step outside and closes the door behind him.

"What are you doing here?" He demands. This is not how he expected to feel after not seeing her for so long.

"I miss her," Peyton says softly. "I want to see her."

"No," Lucas shakes his head. "You ran out on us, Peyton. You left us, leaving only a note behind. You can't-you can't be here. She-she's had enough of a hard time as it is."

"She's my _daughter_, Lucas." She states. "I just want to see her."

"No," Lucas says forcefully. "You can't. You gave up your rights as her mother when you left. You signed the documents relieving you of all rights to your daughter. You have no right anymore."

"I know," she says simply, and a single tear slips from the corner of her eye. "I just thought you'd understand. She doesn't have to know who I am. I just want to see her and hear her voice. That's all, Lucas."

Lucas is so consumed by anger that he doesn't see the woman standing behind Peyton, until he has to look away from her to control himself. "Who's that?" He asks.

"That's Anna," Peyton replies. "She's my-she's my partner."

Lucas clears his throat. "I don't know what you were thinking coming back here after all this time. It's been three years, Peyton. She's too young to have to deal with this right now."

"Is it her, or is it you?" Peyton asks. "Maybe you can't deal with this?"

Lucas scoffs. "You destroyed me too when you left Peyton, but I got over that a long time ago. I had to get over that so I could raise _my_ daughter. You know, the one you abandoned?"

"Lucas?" Brooke's sweet voice questions from behind the two older women. She walks up to the front porch and stands next to Lucas. "What's going on, Lucas?" She asks.

"This is," he clears his throat, "this is Peyton." He introduces, and Brooke gasps.

"Amaya's mom?" She asks. Lucas nods his head.

"Yes, Amaya's _mom_." Peyton speaks up. "And I suppose you are Amaya's pretend mom."

"Don't," Lucas shakes his head. "Do not speak to her that way, because she's been in Amaya's life much more than you have."

"Lucas," Peyton's tone softens. "I just need to see her, okay? If I could just have five minutes, please."

"You don't deserve five minutes you poor excuse for a human being!" Brooke speaks up. "How could you leave such a wonderful child like Amaya? She's fucking perfect and you had to go and leave her to screw with everyone's head. You should just go to hell and not come back. If I-"

"Brooke," Lucas stops her. "It's okay. She's not going to see Maya."

"I see that your standards have dropped considerably since I left, Lucas," Peyton narrows her eyes at Brooke. "Tree Hill only producing _whores_ these days?"

"I will fuc-"

"Brooke," Lucas turns to her, "go inside and check on Amaya, okay? I'll be in in a minute."

"Lucas," Brooke pouts.

"It's okay, baby," he smiles and squeezes her hand. She nods her head reluctantly, and goes into the house.

"Peyton, you have no right to show up on my door step and ask to see Amaya, and then to insult the woman that I am in love with. If you really wanted to see your daughter, you wouldn't have been so immature. Why don't you leave for a few more years and come back when you're really ready to see her, and not when it's best for _you_ but for her as well."

"Lucas, I-" he slams the door behind him as he enters his house and locks it. His back hits the wooden door and he lets out a huge breath that he didn't know he was holding.

Before he can even think, Brooke is slinging her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately. "What's this for?" He asks between kisses.

"I heard what you said," she smiles widely. "So you do love me?"

Lucas smiles, despite himself. "Of course, I love you, Brooke. I love you…so much."

"Good," she smiles wider.

"But," he sighs, "we need to talk okay?"

"This isn't going to be good," her smile fades.

They both sit on the couch, and Lucas turns towards her. "Brooke, I love you. Okay? I don't think I have ever loved someone as much as I love you."

"That's good, Lucas," she grabs his hand. "I love you, too."

"But, I'm telling you this because I can't move away." All hope seeps from Brooke's body. "I have to stay here. For Amaya. For me. And…for you."

"How?" Tears pool in Brooke's eyes. "How is this for me?"

"You need to go off to college and do that, Brooke. Without Amaya and I tagging along. You have to experience that on your own. Be free, Brooke, because you deserve it."

"But," she starts to sob. "But, I want you there with me. I want to experience it with you."

"I love you, Brooke, and I would love to experience it with you, but you have to do this on your own. You have to find _you_ without me there," he grabs her hand and puts it in his lap. "You said you've always had my voice in the back of your head, helping you to decide what to do, but you have to be able to do this on your own. If you don't, you'll just resent me. Brooke Davis, you are going to change the world someday. And I want to be by your side when you do, but you won't be able to do it until you realize what you are capable of."

She sniffles, and wipes at her eyes. "Is this-is this it?" She cries. "Are we over?"

"I'm always going to be here, Brooke. And I'm going to be here waiting for you. In four years, if it's still there between us, we'll be together."

"People that are meant to be together, always find their way in the end?" She questions, and he nods. Lucas pulls her into his chest and kisses the top of her head. And for once that whole summer, he _knows_ he is doing something right.

"Can I come see you on my breaks?"

"Of course, Pretty girl. I'll always have a place setting ready for you at the dinner table for all the holidays, okay?"

She nods her head, and then looks up at him. "Tell me again."

"I love you, Pretty girl," he whispers and kisses the tip of her nose.


End file.
